Emerald Green Named Color for 2013

Pantone says emerald is "the color of prosperity.”

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This emerald green color swatch released by Pantone is Pantone LLC's Color of the Year for 2013, beating out all the other shades of the rainbow. (AP Photo/Pantone)

The color of money is about to have a big year.

Pantone, the leading authority on color used in paint and fabrics, announce emerald as its Color of the Year for 2013. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, picked emerald for social, economic and political reasons.

“One of the attributes of emerald is that it is the color of prosperity,” Eiseman told Today.com. “We are now in a political year where we have seen a lot of arguments going on about concerns with the economy and we’re all hoping for a brighter future and a glimpse of prosperity. It’s still something people aspire to have."

The color was top secret until its official announcement on Thursday, after a selection process that began in spring. Pantone looks to the entertainment industry, traveling art collections, new artists, popular travel destinations and socio-economic conditions to select a color, according to their press release.

The Color of the Year for 2012 was Tangerine Tango, which was the “energy boost we needed to recharge and move forward,” Pantone said.

The cheerful orange popped up in clothing, pillows and kitchenware. The more subdued emerald “is absolutely the opposite of 2012 Color of the Year,” Eiseman told The Wall Street Journal.

Like its predecessors, emerald green has already influenced product development across multiple industries including fashion, home design and beauty products.

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Le Creuset launched cast iron, ceramic and silicone cookware in a deep green they named “fennel,” according to director of marketing, Judy Baker.

“A lot of people use cookware and tea kettles as fashion for their kitchen,” Baker told the Journal.

Pantone will collaborate with Sephora on a makeup line in March and JCPenny Home on a line of emerald-accented bed and bath products slated to launch in February, NBC reported.

The color also made a splash on runways this fall. The color infused the Spring 2013 collections of designers such as Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Marni, Vivienne Tam and Zac Posen.